


A Safe Place

by benswolos



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Ben Solo Has Anger Issues, Blood, Death, F/M, Gore, Grieving, Gun Violence, Reckless Driving, Swearing, Use of Gun, Violence, Zombie AU, Zombie Apocalypse, graphic description of gore, graphic description of violence, guns written by someone who has never seen or fired a gun, probably a bunch more tags ive forgotten to mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 03:14:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18357467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/benswolos/pseuds/benswolos
Summary: After the death of a friend, Rey and Ben must carry on alone in the world of the undead as they try to find a safe place.





	A Safe Place

Rey stood outside the deserted gas stations bathroom, keeping an eager eye on her surroundings and waiting for the bang to signal it was all over.

Waiting for another moment, she realised it might not come as she expected it too.

“Rey!” Ben had called from inside the bathroom.

She had pulled the heavy door open so quickly, standing in the doorway to see him sitting on the dirty tiled floor.

In his arms was the limp and lifeless Rose, her head hanging off his lap, the blood slowly dropping from where the knife entered to put her down, for good.

It had been the three of them for at least two weeks after Poe had gone missing when a horde split them apart in a department store. Rose was an optimist despite all odds, encouraging Rey and Ben to carry on, they’d find a safe place soon. Then Rose got scratched on the ankle trying to reach for the last can of lentils on a shelf by a slow, crawling dead one.

Rose had known as soon as it had happened. Rey had run into the aisle to find her slumped next to the offending dead one, covered in its blood from over stabbing it out of despair. Her eyes had met Rey’s and she let out a pathetic laugh.

“It got me” she laughed, pulling her dirty sock down to reveal the smallest of scratches

“We don’t know that for sure”

“I do”

Rose had been right. That lead them here, in some grotty gas station bathroom, four days later.

Bens head rose to Rey’s, she could see the tears threatening to leave his eyes. He was paralysed, she could tell. She bent down to meet him, he still held onto Roses body.

“Ben”

“She didn’t deserve to go like this”

Rey’s lips betrayed her, instead of saying the right thing she said nothing at all, her lips forming a straight line. Rey knew Rose didn’t deserve to die like this. She was someone’s daughter, sister and she was their friend and her life had ended in a gas station toilet instead of some hospice bed at age 84.

Ben couldn’t find the right words to say either. He didn’t utter a word as he gently picked Roses body up from the floor, carrying her out of bathroom and into the parking lot. He refused to acknowledge Rey’s calls for him as he rummaged through the remaining cars, slamming doors behind him as Rey stood powerless.

Ben had found what he was looking for, a shovel to assist in digging a hole. Rey was sure that if he hadn’t of found one that he would have dug a hole with his own bare hands. She watched on as he kept digging and digging. Rey decided to watch his back, clearing the stray dead ones that would stumble their way.

As she finished clearing another one. she looked back to Ben, one was approaching him.

“Ben!” she screamed at him, however he didn’t look up.

He swung the shovel behind himself, hearing the thump and the dead one go down, he went back to his duty.

Rey stood by his side as he lowered Rose into her grave. Staring at her soft features before Ben piled on the first shovelful of dirt. Night had come quickly for them, the last pile of dirt had been pressed onto Roses grave.

There was an urgency to get going, the night was always dark and full of more of the unknown. While Rey tried to hot wire a pick up, Ben sat in the passenger seat still frozen.

Rey had driven for two hours before Ben uttered a word to her, though it was slightly prompted.

“Hey do you still have those chips?” Rey’s eyes still glued on the road.

At night, in this world, driving was your safest bet if you didn’t have a proper home. Once Rey started driving she refused to stop, only if the gas had run out or the road was blocked.

“We should just end it” he had said so quietly, the car came to a halted stop.

“What?! End what?!” her eyes darting wildly

“All were doing is running, we keep running and eventually one of us will get bit. Then I’ll have to put you down Rey,” he turned to her “I can’t do it again, I can’t-“

“Ben, don’t say that”

“You know it’s true!”

A part of Rey knew it was true, yes. Maybe one day they would get bit, maybe one day they would get shot by bandits, and maybe one day she would have to hold Ben in her arms and put him down. But it was all one big maybe, nothing was written in stone.

“What you’re saying... it’s the easy way out”

“It’s the best way out. You want to go out like Finn? Choking on your own blood? What about Poe?”

“We don’t know if Poe’s even dead”

“A horde that size? Versus one man? He’s dead and you’d be delusional to think he wasn’t”

Rey had sat back, gripping the leather of the steering wheel till her knuckles were pale.

“Rey... all I ask is that you end this, the running, the suffering, the pain. End it for me” Ben had thrown his pistol onto her lap, she looked down in disbelief.

“How fucking dare you”

“What?!” Ben’s face screwed up.

“We have not made it this fucking far for you to give up on me. Maybe you’re right, maybe we get shot in the neck like Finn, maybe we get bit, maybe we fucking starve to death! But at least when I die, I’ll know I never fucking gave up! That I fought for my life till the very end”

“It won’t always be like this, Ben. There’s a place, a permanent home, waiting for us out there. A place where we’ll be safe. We just need to find it, take it for ourselves”

“You honestly don’t believe that do you?”

It had fallen silent between them now. Rey understood Bens pessimism. It had always been something she kind of liked in him, however she knew that it was that pessimism blocking his view on the bigger picture. Looking down at her lap, Bens pistol still lay there, taunting her.

“I do. So if you want to end it, you end it yourself. I won’t stop you” she said throwing the gun back onto his lap.

Silence fell between the two once more. Rey took her foot off the break, pressing down on the accelerator once again and drove off as if they conversation never even happened. 

Ben had turned his head to Rey many times through out their nightly ride, Rey peaking at him out of the corner of her eye.  
She understood Bens anguish. It had only been two years ago that the dead ones had begun to rise and one year ago that they were safe inside a tiny community.

One summer afternoon, their tiny community had been ripped apart by a large horde and since then they were homeless. Drifting through the empty world, their small numbers dwindling.

Ben fumbled around the glove compartment, finding a half smoked packet of cigarettes. He had lit one, blowing the thick smoke out the window.

Ben had also found some mixtape CD, he popped it into the CD player. It wasn’t to Bens taste nor hers but it was something to drown out the silence. They had not heard music in awhile.

Rey knew what kind of place they needed to find in order to keep the hope alive. Something with multiple stories, somewhere where they could have the higher ground but small enough for them to clear out on their own. Somewhere off the beaten track, for safety purposes. Preferably somewhere with rooftop accesses and limited entry/exit points just in case the dead or the living tried to break in. Rey knew that there was a place like this out there, empty just waiting to be reclaimed, she just had to find it.

The back road they had found themselves on was in a desired state. Minimal dead ones lurking around, abandoned cars were either on one side or in the ditch which made Rey’s job much easier to navigate around. It was empty, quiet. Rey found herself slowly becoming sleepier and sleepier as she drove on, nothing to be desired as you drove like your life depended on it. She could have always stopped the car, let Ben drive on but you didn’t dare stop the car in these parts, in this world. You never knew who or what was lurking in the shadows. The only reason she had slammed her foot on the break was due to shock. Ending it was the last thing she had expected Ben to say.

Rey readjusted herself, one hand on the steering wheel and her eyes onto the road. Ben was shuffling about in his seat too, giving him a small glance, keeping her eyes back on the road. Then she heard the click.

“Ben! Your seat belt!” she protested, her eyes darting between him and the road.

Ben didn’t acknowledge her at all, instead jumping up onto the passenger seats, his chest hugging the back of the seat and his eyes focussed on the back window.

“Ben?”

“Stop talking”

“Ben!” she said once more, outraged.  
He had quickly turned the CD player off. The new silence revealed the sound of another engine.

“Rey... turn your lights off”

“What?”

“Turn your lights off and speed up”

Before Rey could protest, a pair of bright high beams filled the road behind her. Her heart skipped a beat. People. People were the real threat. The last time they had encountered people on the road, Finn was murdered.

“Maybe... maybe they’re friendlies” Rey stammered

That was before the car had started to speed up.

‘ _Fuck_!’ she sighed, her heart racing and her foot on the accelerator.

“Can you see how many?”

“Just one” he growled

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah! One fucking ginger”

Rey rolled her eyes, racking her brain. How were they going to get out this? It’s not like there was an opening. Rey didn’t know these roads, it was just as easy to lead themselves into another trap during the panic. For now, she would keep driving. What could one person do?

The driver was gaining on them now. Rey kept driving and letting Ben be the eyes in the back of her head. The driver was making their intentions clear, to Rey it seemed they were trying to run them off the road.

Why? Maybe they thought they were loaded up with supplies, maybe the driver thought they were someone else, maybe they wanted to drag her off to be some apocalyptic sex slave. How was she to know? There was too many maybes. What she did know was that she hadnt seen another human since Finn died, they couldn’t have done anything to anyone intentionally.

“I have an idea” Ben had said with urgency, rolling down the window.

Ben had picked up his pistol, cocking it. Rey’s eyes only became wider as he climbed out of the window, sitting on the rolled down door and aiming his gun towards the other car.

“Ben what the fuck?”

“Keep driving, I got it”

Rey just had to trust Ben, keeping her speed and eyes darting back to Ben and the road.

 **Bang!**  He fired the shot. Ben didn’t shoot to kill, just to maim the car. The front left tire blew and the car started swerving.  
Even if the driver sped up, they wouldn’t be able to keep up for long. It wasn’t a guarantee but at least a fighting chance.  
Ben returned into the car, breathing heavily as he returned to staring down the back.

“Rey?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah...I’m okay” she wasn’t, not really. This was a close call and the driver still followed behind despite the tire blow out.

“They’re still coming”

“It’s-it’s okay Rey, he’ll drop off soon. We’re not worth it”

Rey had fallen silent, Ben still remained her eyes.

Rey’s heart thumped in her chest. Still she kept her speed. It was a hopeless situation, one she had never encountered before. What did you do when someone was chasing after you? No movie she had seen before the end of the world prepared her for this.

“Ben, we have less than a quarter tank left” she said, glancing to the fuel gauge.

“We can make it”

“What if we can’t?”

“We just have to count on whoever that is to get the message. They have a blown tire and if we’re lucky, less gas than we do” Ben said, trying to calm her nerves.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, his eyes still on the car behind them. It was a gesture of comfort but it didn’t stop the fear she felt.

They had to make it. They just had to. And if the car ran out of gas then at least it would be two against one. Until the dead come, then who knows how many there would be against them after that. The night was still young and still so dark and she was afraid.

She thought back to simplier times at the camp. Before it had met its demise. Rose had found a couple of water coloured paints during their last outing. Green and purple, not the greatest colours but she made do by printing flowers onto old newspaper. Rey was looking forward to the day Rose made her a picture of her own. Finn had started to get the hang of shooting a rifle, bringing home small game and one time even a deer. The camp was happy to be finally eating meat again, they were getting stronger. Her relationship with Ben had started to blossom into something more. A small wave as they passed by had turn to hours of laughter as they played cards and talked about their life before. Kaydel had started to get the ham radio to work, although no one replied the hope was still alive that someone was out there. That they weren’t alone, all that was left.

But the camp was gone, almost everyone else was gone too. Poe wasn’t around to beat everyone at poker anymore. There was no time to hunt for any kind of game, not when you shifted from place to place. It was hard to hang any flowery art on a wall when you didn’t have any wall to call home. The potential for Rey and Bens relationship to become something more had come to a grinding halt as they focussed on surviving each day. And while she reflected on the good and the bad, something kicked in. The determination to go on.

“They still there?” she asked, quickly glancing over her shoulder.

“Yeah, they’re still coming” Ben squinted.

“Hold the wheel” Rey said, unbuckling her seat belt.

“What?”

“Hold the wheel, keep it straight!” she commanded as she wound the window down as fast as she could.

She reached for the pistol in Bens hand, grabbing it before he could protest. Ben grabbed the wheel, doing his best to keep straight.

“Rey what the fuck are you doing?”

“They’re not stopping, we don’t have the gas to do this all night” she screamed as she climbed out the window.

He had awkwardly manoeuvred himself to reach the peddle now, leaning over with one hand on the staring wheel and other pushing down on the accelerator.

The driver had started to flicker their lights, trying to blind her as she pointed the gun. Her hand shook as she cocked it, trying to focus down the sight, her other hand holding onto the top of the window for dear life.

She had to give whoever was chasing them kudos, they were doing a good job of trying to distract her. But through blinding light Rey was confident that she could make the shot. Her finger about to squeeze the trigger when-

 **Thunk!**  They went over a large bump. The front and the back of the car jostling as they drove over the top of it. There was no telling what that was. An undead, a piece of trash left in the middle of the road. It could have been anything, but what she did know was that it had been something big. Thrown into the air, her ass flew up before smacking back down hard onto the bottom of the window. Her hand almost losing its grip on the top. Rey was lucky to not have fallen out of the car, even luckier not to squeeze the trigger.

“Rey! I think we just hit something!” Ben said urgently, trying to prompt her to act quicker

“Just one second” she said under her breath, relining up the shot.

“I can’t do this much longer!”

 **Bang!**  The bullet left the gun. From what Rey could tell, she had done some damage. The car swerved off the road, leaving a loud screeching behind it as it disappeared down a bank. The undead would come for the driver sure enough. It was only what they had deserved after all, chasing random people in the dead of night.

‘ _It’s not hard to be fucking friendly_ ’ she thought, making her way back into the car.

“What the fuck was that?” Ben screamed, banging his hand onto the dash.

“You saw them! They weren’t going to stop. I had to do something!”

“You could have just told me! I would have jumped in the back or-or fucking something!”

“They’re gone, okay it worked. We’re safe” Rey had tried to reassure him. She could understand his anger. It was out of concern, care.

It could have gone wrong. She could have easily had fallen out of the car, missed the shot. The car could have easily fallen down into a bank or hit an undead one, maybe crash into another car. Then what? A fight with the driver? If they had made it out of that then the undead would arrive in time for their next meal. It was pitch dark, they had no fucking clue where they were, where the closest place to lie low was. It could have gone terribly, it could have not worked at all. But it had worked. They weren’t being chased anymore. It was a big risk she took. A risk she would take over and over again if it meant that they had a fighting chance. A fighting chance to see another day, to find that safe place that their friends before them would never see.

Rey knew Ben would be upset for awhile but he would get over it. Turning up the music on low, he lit another cigarette, concentrating all his efforts to watching the view instead of telling her how irresponsible she was.

They drove through the night with no other incident. As he rummaged under his seat, Ben had found an old map and spent his time trying to figure out where they were.

Turn after turn after turn, they finally made it somewhere. The night sky lightened as the sun started to rise, making it easier to see their surroundings. They had come to a dead end, the fuel light blinked at her as it had for over two hours now. In front of them was a small shopping complex surrounded by bush and forest and in the middle stood a large apartment building. As it became lighter, Rey could only guess it was 10 stories. She could only wonder what something like this was doing all the way out here.

“It’s... odd” she said under her breath.

Perhaps it was for forestry workers and their families or those fake shopping complex’s for elderly with dementia so they wouldn’t wander far. Maybe it was being developed further before the world came to its end. Either way, there was something odd about this place and she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“I think I read the map wrong, we were meant to end up at a warehouse” Ben admitted, flipping the map to see at a better angle.

“I think it’s perfect”

“This place?”

“Think about it, it’s out of the way”

She untwisted the wires connected to the ignition, stopping the engine before she opened the pickups door.

“What are you doing? Are you crazy?”

“If there were any dead they would have come out by now. This car isn’t exactly quiet” she said as she slammed the door. Reaching in the back of the pick up for the shovel.

The sky had dashes of yellow mixed in with the dark blue clouds, as if she had dunked a dirty yellow paint brush into dark blue waters. She looked around some more, approaching the middle of the parking lot. Ben had followed her now in a bid to keep her safe.

“Look at that apartment, it looks like it has roof access” she observed, looking back to Ben who hesitantly checked his surroundings.

“The shops might have some supplies left and I’m sure there’s plenty of furniture in the building to barricade any entry points”

The gears in Reys brain had turned on, a hundred ideas came to her at once. Maybe it was coming from the desperation of needing a place to call home. She had to keep that hope alive inside of her even if it was all she had and she had high hopes this could be the place. Even if Ben didn’t exactly see it right now, she knew he would eventually.

“I think we should leave”

“What? No!”

“Rey-“

“We’ve been on fuel light for hours now. We could breakdown at a place full of the dead, it’s not worth the risk” she said as she made her way closer to the shops.

Rey wiped the dirt covered window with her hand, paying no mind to the dust and dirt that marked her skin afterwards. She peered in, trying to see anything. Banging on the window as she made her way to the entrance, bracing herself for the dead to emerge from whatever dark corners they hid. Ben had caught up to her now, slightly puffing.

As she slid the automatic door open with all her might, the smell of the fresh air turned into a damp and musty one. Particles rained down through the streams of light. She banged on the glass door again with her shovel, waiting for the moans, the shuffling. They were met with nothing.

“I think we’re okay”

As Rey went to walk towards the aisles, a hand grabbed her shoulder. She turned around to see Ben, still holding his grip.

“Be careful” he warned her.

“We don’t want to end up like....” he trailed off, looking away as his hand left her shoulder.

“I will be” she assured.

They went through aisle by aisle. The place had almost been picked clean, any actual food had rotted away or expired a long time ago. Rey couldn’t say it was all for nothing though. She found a couple cans of food, someone must not have been desperate enough to reach for the last can of beans and the last two cans of sardines. A pack of bandaids, another can of pineapple chunks and to Rey’s relief, a pack of tampons. Super sized 12 pack. It wasn’t much but god was it better than the old rags she had used to stuff her underwear.

Ben had not found much either. A travel pack of tissues, four cans of food, double A batteries and a roll of baking paper. He didn’t even bother to grab the baking paper, he could barely even think of a use for it.

They approached the back room together, weapons ready. Ben pulled back the plastic flaps, allowing Rey to slowly enter while he followed. She banged the shovel on the nearest metal shelf. The sound cut through the silence, making Ben jump although he had anticipated it. Still no dead ones.

Ben had thought this was all too strange, wondering if Rey had felt the same. An empty shopping centre in the middle of nowhere, ransacked and quiet. No dead ones. There was always dead ones. Even in that gas station bathroom there had been a dead one. It had risen from the seat as Ben burst open the cubicle door. It’s pants still around it’s ankles. He would have laughed if the situation hadn’t of been so dire.

They kept moving forward, watching each other’s back. Rey could feel her heart beating in her throat. The stock room was dark and the last time they had a working flashlight was nearly over four weeks ago before Poe had jammed it into a dead ones skull, breaking the thing in two. Both held their weapons, ready for anything. It was smart to check the room first before diving in to any boxes so they followed each other, weaving in between shelves and stepping over boxes. Still nothing, still so quiet.

“I don’t like this” Ben whispered.

Rey tried to ignore him. They had nothing, their supplies dwindled to whatever they could carry in their backpacks. She was exhausted, her stomach growled and bubbled but they had to keep going. There were still so many shops in the centre to check and clear.

“Up there” Ben had pointed to a room in the top corner of the stockroom, a staircase leading down to the floor. Most likely the managers office.

Ben went first as they ascended the staircase, cautiously pushing the door open. Blood and chunks of god knows what decorated the walls and the desk of the small office. The smell of rot filled his nostrils as he pushed the door open all the way. His nose wrinkled in disgust as he took in the sight. The desk chair spun around, a dead one rising from it. As it reached for him, Ben noted how desperate the dead one must have been. It was skin and bones, it’s features so sunken it barely appeared human. Half it’s jaw missing yet it still snapped ferociously. The dead one groaned, desperate for its meal. Ben took his knife from his belt, hearing the crunch of its skull as the knife inserted into the dead ones head and the thump it made as it dropped to the ground, finally put out of its own misery.

As he looked down at it, he saw a name badge. ‘ _Barry, store manager_ ’. From the blood on the walls, the dead ones missing jaw and the shotgun that lay on the floor next to the desk chair, he could only assumed Barry had tried to end things only to miss his shot.

“We should rest up, you’ve been driving all night”

Rey didn’t protest. Instead, chucking her backpack on the floor and getting herself comfortable on the old brown couch. She was out cold by the time Ben had dragged the dead ones body out of the office. As he lay on the ground, his jacket as a blanket and his pack as a very uncomfortable pillow, he watched as she slept. Her breathing slow and her face covered in dirt, her features soft. Ben couldn’t help but be glad that she was alive. That they both made it through the night. As he watched, his eyes became droopy and finally he accepted the darkness.

He woke to Rey smiling down at him. She was no longer laying on the couch but sitting on it with a can in her hands.

“Morning sleepyhead” she smiled

“It’s morning?” he asked, rubbing his eyes

“No, I think it’s the afternoon. I made you something” Rey said, holding out the can.

When he looked into the can he saw the most horrid sight. Spaghetti-os and sardines. He could only imagine how disgusting it tasted as his nose subtly scrunched up, trying not to offend Rey and her disastrous concoction.

“The sauce kind of hides the sardines” she said, continuing to slurp the concoction out the can.

Despite the fact that Ben fucking hated sardines, food was food so he dived in. Chewing and swallowing, trying to ignore the salty taste on his tongue.

Reys stomach still growled but was thankful for the food. Now she just needed something to wash it down. Her bottle held a pathetic amount of water, she swished it around as her brows knitted together. It was enough to quench her thirst if she took small sips. Hopefully they would find water soon, maybe there was a stream nearby. She took a small sip, offering the rest to Ben who graciously declined.

“We should probably check the boxes and then figure out what we’re going to do”

“We should clear out that apartment block”

“This whole place is quiet. What if all the dead are in there?”

“We can handle it”

“You’re not listening to me Rey” his frustration grew.

“You’re not listening to me!” Ben repeated once more.

“You know what! I get it! You want a safe space, a home. But we don’t have a group anymore, it’s just us! It’s too risky” he snapped, throwing the empty can of food at the wall in frustration.

Rey flinched, taking a deep breath. She had grown used to his spouts of anger and frustration.

She had thought back to when Finn died. He lay on the side of the road, blood running from the bullet hole between his eyes. His mouth bloodied as he had choked on his own blood from the bullet that landed in his neck. The bandits had taken all their stuff, their weapons. Rey was thankful at least they hadn’t had to put Finn down, the bandits doing that for them. Seeing him turn would have killed them.

“I’m going to...” Ben stood and watched as they sped away, tooting and laughing. His knuckles pale, his hand sweaty from tight fists. Veins threatening to bulge from his neck and forehead.

“I’m going to...” he tried to get the words, tried to breathe.

“I’m going to fucking kill them!” Ben screamed and then he started to run.

Rey had run after him. There was nothing he could have done to save Finn and nothing he could have done to help them now, not by chasing a car packed with a bunch of goons. Running until she could feel her throat starting to burn, even then she kept going. Bens long legs gave him an advantage for sure but the distance was closing between them. She had almost caught up to him, the car in the very far distance. As it disappeared around the corner, he admitted defeat. Sinking to his knees in the middle of the road, letting out a mournful scream.

“Ben” she said, huffing and puffing. Reys hand reached his shoulder.

“Fucking assholes!” he screamed into his hands.

“Poe and Rose need us now, let’s go” she said as gently as she could. Still he had not budged, his head still in his large hands as regained his breath.

“If you have to beat the shit out of something, I won’t stop you but we have to go”

On their walk back, Rey tried to bring as much saliva as she could up in an attempt to coat her throat. She felt hopeless, remembering the large water bottle in her backpack that would have done the trick. Ben said nothing, still he seethed.

“Ben, man are you alright?” Poe asked, a look of concern on his face.

Ben brushed him off, walking towards a tree instead. Poe turned to Rey now, giving a puzzled look. Of course he wasn’t alright, nothing about the situation was alright.

Finding a large, thick stick from the forest floor, he began beating an innocent tree till the stick broke and his hands bloodied. Poe and Rey couldn’t help but watch on, trying to clear the stray dead ones away with sticks and debris. They couldn’t lose another person today. More dead would arrive soon, it was a given. They had to go, find weapons, supplies. Rey never forget how Rose clung to Finns lifeless body, weeping as she and Poe tried to drag her away.

Now Rey watched as Ben paced the office, shaking his head at his own foolishness. Anger wouldn’t get them anywhere, she had told him this a million times. A mantra. One he repeated in his mind again and again. Anger only pushes those close away.

“I have a plan” she said.

 

Two weeks later Rey sat on the rooftop, wrapped in a wooly cardigan. In her fold out chair, she watched as the sky became lighter, streaks of dark purples and light pinks on a dark blue canvas.

Clearing the apartment hadn’t been easy. The dead still lurked the halls, their number larger than Rey had expected. From what she could tell a decent sized group had lived here before them, though she could not tell how they met their demise. The start of her plan had led them to banging on one of the building entrances, luring as many dead ones out as they could. Allowing one by one out the door to meet their end by her shovel. 

Still the dead ones lurked behind closed doors. A child emerged from a cupboard, it’s jaws snapping at Rey, dried blood surrounding its mouth. Her heart broke as she put the child down. It had broken Ben more to drag the child’s body out to the burn pile. It was something they chose not to speak of.

They had found many things inside of the building. The group who had lived there before them were the ones who had picked clean the surrounding shops, leaving only a little behind. Supplies had become abundant as if the world had rewarded them after the hardship they had faced.

After the bodies were burnt and the main entrances were barricaded, Rey took time to explore the place. The apartments that the group before them did not inhabit felt haunted. Everything in their places from the day the last owners had left them. Dirty dishes in the sink, beds unmade, drawers left open and clothes thrown around in an attempt to make a quick getaway. Hand written notes left on benches and stuck on fridges.

‘ _Honey I love you have a great day x_ ’ ‘ _We need some milk!_ ’

Events people world never attend written on calendars.

‘ _Henry’s soccer match!_ ’ ‘ _Dinner with the Normans_ ’

Smiling faces of happy families, god knows where they were now. Likely shuffling along with the various hordes that plagued their new world. Rey had hoped that they had found their own safe place.

She had also found some clean clothing. Spoiled for choice, most clothing fit her well or were a little baggy but she couldn’t complain. Clean clothes that didn’t smell of the dead, her own body odour or dirt was all she could have asked for. Ben had found himself some new clothes too. An old red flannel and some comfortable but fitting black jeans. He had finally let his hair down, the elastic of his hair tie finally snapping. Rey couldn’t help herself but to sneak glances at him, she hadn’t seen his hair like since their camp was overrun. Wild long black locks.

They had found clean bedding too. Sleeping in a proper bed had done wonders for their moods. Ben could finally stretch out his long limbs instead of curling himself onto a couch and Rey could go back to sleeping like she used to, starfish in the middle.

After mourning the long lost and forgotten residents of the building, Rey took the opportunity to decorate the apartment they shared on the top floor. She had eagerly wanted her own apartment but Ben protested.

“We’ll stay together, just for awhile” he had said.

Rey had laughed to herself. Ben just didn’t want to be on his own, to proud to admit it she had figured. She didn’t mind though. After a decent meal and good nights sleep, he was very good company.

As she wrapped the cardigan around her closer, the sun had started to peak its head on the horizon. The heavy fire escape door screeched as it opened. Rey turned her head to see Ben, a blanket wrapped around his broad, bare shoulder and two steaming mugs. He was comfortable in a tight fitting muscle shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

“Thought you’d need the pick me up” he said as he handed her the mug.

“Put that sweetener shit you like in it, hope it’s enough”

She had a little moan escape as the hot coffee touched her lips. If it hadn’t been so dark, she could have sworn a blush had formed on Bens cheeks.

“It’s perfect thank you”

The two sat in silence for a moment, admiring the sunrise and the quiet. Ben would take watch in a moment leaving Rey to sleep for the morning but for now they enjoyed each other’s company and the sound of the birds chirping away.

“Rey?” he spoke softly

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry about what I said in the car, about ending it I- I just-“

“Hey, don’t worry about it. We had just lost Rose. I understand” she had placed her spare hand on his, rubbing circles with her thumb on his cold skin. His eyes lit up for a moment, grateful for her touch.

“And losing my shit at the grocery store. I was scared, I just didn’t want to lose you”

“Ben, it’s okay” Rey insisted.

She smiled at him and for the first time in awhile he smiled back at her. A real, proper smile. Shyly looking away as Rey moved her hand to take another sip of her coffee. He was grateful for her forgiveness, at times feeling like he didn’t deserve it at all. Didn’t deserve her at all.

The sat quietly again, a comfortable silence. Being next to each other was enough.

“See anything exciting?”

“No, not really. A couple of dead ones came out of the bushes but they moved on pretty quickly” Rey said, passing the binoculars to Ben.

Placing his mug on the floor, he brought the binoculars to his eyes, scoping the forest and bushes below. The same old sight greeted him. The faded lines of the parking lot, that dead raccoon the dead ones were snacking on from a week ago, the same old trees and shrubbery.

Before he moved the binoculars away, something caught the corner of his eye. The rustling of a bush. At first thought it was just a gust of wind blowing through, nothing spectacular. However the bush kept rustling, the other bushes and trees stood perfectly still. Panic rose within him.

“Rey somethings in the bush” his eyes focused on the spot.

“Probably just a dead one” she rolled her eyes.

A figure emerged as he watched on. It did not look like a dead one. Didn’t move or moan like a dead one. It was a person. Bens heart stopped as he watched them one by one emerge. Four people.

“Rey! It’s people!” He had said alarmed.

“Stop fucking around” she laughed, nudging his shoulder and grabbing the binoculars from his hand.

Rey realised quickly it was no joke. Four people stood at the edge of the parking lot. Two men two women from what she could tell. She stood immediately, almost knocking her cup over.

“Fuck” she said, running to the edge of the rooftop ledge

“Get back from there! They could see you”

Rey quickly looked back to Ben, a frown on her face.

The only exit or entry point was the fire escape. The dead couldn’t break in and it would take the living some time before they reached the top, enough time for Ben or Rey to attack if needed.

As she looked through the binoculars once more, she saw how run down they appeared. Only with the backpacks on their backs and two weapons between them she couldn’t help but see herself in them. They needed a home too. She ran for the rifle by the door, the binoculars bouncing on her chest.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Ben yelled.

He was about to grab her, tell her to go inside, let him handle it. But he was too far away, by time he had reached the fire escape staircase she was already jogging down.

“What if they’re friendlies?” she said, continuing to make her way down.

“What if they’re not?” Ben shouted after her but it was no use.

She had her mine made up and all he could do now was to grab the other rifle and line the shot up the best he could.

The thumping of her heavy footsteps on metal drew the groups attention as Rey made her way down. They were standing, watching in anticipation, weapons ready. Rey jumped over the railing of the ground level staircase, the entry blocked off to stop intruders and the dead

“Hey!” Rey waved her arms around, trying to sound as friendly as she could as she approached.

The group still had their weapons ready. She could see their faces now. A woman with long untamed blonde hair, youthful and dirty. She held a metal bat, the end covered in dried blood. The other woman next her was a lot older, a darker woman with her grey hair in a messy plait. The man next her also had darker skin, his hair wild, holding a machete tightly on his side. And the man next to him? She knew those waves from anywhere.

“Poe!” she screamed, running into his arms.

“Holy shit! Rey?” Poe said, squeezing her so tightly as he accepted her embrace.

“Come” Rey said, grabbing his hand and pulling him across the parking lot.

The group followed them, murmuring among themselves. It appeared rude not to introduce herself at the time but she was so caught up in the moment, it barely crossed her mind. Poe couldn’t help but ramble, expressing how grateful he was to have found her. Ben would tell her how stupid she was for taking such a risk. She knew it was coming but she would take it on the chin.

“You might want to climb over the rail, we blocked off every other entry point” Rey said as she climbed back over, helping the others with their belongings as they climbed.

The first face Ben saw as the group made their way up onto the rooftop was Reys. He still aimed the rifle, waiting for the next person, still untrusting but then he saw Poe. The gun fell from his hands, hitting the ground. For a moment he questioned if this was all a dream, an old ghost coming back to haunt him. If it was not a dream, maybe it was a man who happened to look like Poe. Reys smile beamed as the two men reunited, holding her hands to her mouth trying to hide her excitement. Tears of joy flooding her eyes.

“I saw you go down” he said, dumbstruck.

“You can’t kill me man” Poe grinned, pulling the much larger man into a hug.

Rey and Ben spent the morning welcoming their guests. Giving them fresh clothes, a meal and a clean, cozy place to rest. Ben was the one to regretfully inform Poe of Roses demise after he had asked where she was. Poe needed a moment after the news. He sat alone in his new room, reflecting on the last time he saw her.

“Hey, kinda looks like you” she had joked, pointing to a buff male underwear model on a poster in the very department store he went missing in.

Poe loved that about her. Her strange quirks, her optimism despite hardship, her lust for life, the way she found the beauty in everything despite the state of the world. Poe never thought she’d be gone, he never thought Finn would be gone either. The harsh reality of this cruel world.

At night they sat around the worn wooden table eating dinner by candlelight, laughing and listening as Poe retold the story of how he escaped the store, where he had been since then and how Micah, Jane and Judy saved his ass.

Micah and Judy were a married couple, at first they had tried to find their children but it had been no use. They had traveled across the country but by time they had arrived at their daughters home, she was gone. Instead they found Jane, an elementary school teacher who had been hiding alone in a garden store, on the edge of dehydration. Distraught after being unable to protect her students from the dead. They intended to stay with Poe, Ben and Rey, assuring they’d earn their keep. The apartment was too good to pass up.

They had all finally found a safe place.

 

**Author's Note:**

> firstly thank you so much for reading. this is my first fic i have written and completed in six years. i am absolutely nervous but at the same time excited to share this, in fact im more shitting brick than anything. this is my first fic for the ship and for the fandom. i dont have a beta reader so i apologise for any mistakes or grammatical errors, i tried to edit this throughly but sometiems things slip through the cracks. i also wrote this on mobile and am uploading this on a computer from the 1700s.
> 
> intially this fic was apart of my 'tarot' series i had written and long abandoned. this fic was based on the card 'wheel of fortune'. i saw the dead dont die trailer and got a sudden boost to finish it. 
> 
> again, thank you so much for reading and i hope you enjoyed it at the very least. even if my writing is a bit dusty and clunky.
> 
> im on tumblr and twitter @spaceypriestess


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